"Here is the hero's room…"
The hero's room in the royal palace was much simpler than I had expected.
I had imagined it to be more dazzling and located right in the middle of the castle.
"…Alex, may I come in?"
When I knocked on the door, there was a slight pause before a response came from inside.
Though it was late, the hero didn't seem to mind my intrusion and greeted me with a smile.
"What's wrong? Is it about the princess…?"
"No, um… it seemed like she was quite troubled a while ago, so…"
The hero probably knows that the princess and I were together until just now.
He knows what we would do together, so there was no need to pretend.
"Thank you for your concern."
The hero bowed and offered me a chair.
Though he was smiling, there was a weariness in his expression... Apparently, the remarks at the banquet had taken a toll on him.
"Well… despite it being the hero's room…"
"I had the interior kept simple. The first room they assigned to me was too extravagant and I couldn't sleep at night."
I tried to lighten the mood, but unfortunately, I didn't possess such a special ability. If I did, I wouldn't have still been a deputy.
However, the hero politely responded to such words. Really, this guy is too good to be true.
"Would you like something to drink? Well, there's only tea here, anyway."
"No, it's fine. I'm sorry for showing up so suddenly… don't worry about me."
As I said that, the hero bowed and sat on a nearby chair.
Two men, an odd silence filled the room.
"Since coming to this room, I've had a lot more time to think alone. When I was traveling, the princess and Muriel were always there for me listening to my troubles."
The one to break the silence was the hero.
His profile, gazing vaguely out the window, was as beautiful as a sculpture, but there was an undeniable fatigue around his eyes.
"Ah… She's good at listening. Also, may I ask who's Muriel? I've heard the Princess mention her a few times now."
"Of course, Muriel is my childhood friend and also she was the sorceress of our party. She defeated the Demon King with us, due to her efforts she has received a mansion in the capital, thinking about it... we haven't met in a while now. We were always together since we we were kids, I miss her."
Smiling, his expression alone seemed genuinely serene. Seeing this side of him, I couldn't help but feel bad.
Wait a minute, could it be...?
While I was thinking about a possibility, the hero suddenly looked at me.
"I know, I really do... That I don't have any talents besides the sword, and even that… it's meant to defeat monsters, not to kill people. I never learned military tactics like the military personnel, so I don't know how to handle people…"
"You can learn that from now on, can't you? Look, you're still young!"
Don't worry about what those military guys say.
If I could assert that, it would have been so much better. But as a grown-up, unfortunately, I can somehow understand the arguments of those unpleasant guys.
That's why I could only say things that wouldn't cause any trouble.
"It's frightening."
"Frightening?" I asked puzzled.
"Yes, I'm afraid to get used to pointing my sword at another person."
I was frantically spinning my head, trying to figure out what to say, when the hero brought up something unexpected.
To be honest, it was unexpected. The hero was chosen by the goddess and had used the sword given to him to slay many enemies, he probably killed bandits in his travels but probably mostly monsters.
I didn't expect the hero to say, "I'm afraid to point a weapon at someone."
"Monsters are fundamentally different creatures from us humans. So, I didn't hesitate to draw the sword of the founding king. But, for example, if this country were to be involved in a war… If I were asked if I could wield a sword against fellow humans, inocent people embroiled in a war that they didn't ask for…"
His voice trembled slightly.
'That's right… it's only natural. The hero is human too. Just like me… Why didn't I consider that?'
Up to this point, I had lost sight of that fact.
The hero is human. Just like us, a young man at the age of twenty.
He didn't undergo any special training, nor did he take an oath to serve as a soldier. I finally understood the danger of entrusting the army to someone like that.
"This is something I can only say to you, Daniel. I'm sorry for burdening you with my petty worries, considering you've come from a distant world…"
The hero squeezed his hands tightly on his knees and bit his lip hard.
"That journey, I wish it could have continued forever. Lately, I've been thinking like that… even though many innocent people were hurt and killed by the monsters. I miss the times when I traveled with Muriel and the princess, continuing to defeat monsters. I long to return to those days."
"Alex…"
"There's no need for me… The sword of the founding king is meaningless in a world without the demon king. An ordinary human without the qualifications or the determination to become a king… I can't imagine standing beside Princess Anastasia."
I could understand how much emotion was packed into his words, words that were squeezed out like drops of water.
I'm the only one who knows how much the hero is tormented, so I couldn't find the right words to say. After all, I couldn't just say something irresponsible out of nowhere.
"That's… that's not true! Do you have any idea how much Princess Anastasia cares about you-"
Just as I was struggling to find the right words and was about to raise my voice irresponsibly... Clang, clang, clang! We heard a series of high-pitched metallic sounds.
"…A warning of an attack by the demon race? I can't believe it…"
"What!? An attack!?"
The moment the hero muttered those dangerous words in a low voice, my heart started pounding.
However, the hero, upon hearing that sound, was brave. He quickly picked up a common sword and with a sharp look in his eyes, he asked me a question.
"Daniel, do you have any military experience?"
"I don't have any! I'm just an ordinary person!"
"In that case, stay as far away from the windows as possible. The door is a no-go… either stand with your back against the wall or hide under the bed."
With those instructions, the hero forcefully kicked open the window.
"Wh-what's that?"
"The Windwing Dragon Gertna. It's not considered a high-ranking demon, but it's a dragon species specialized in wide-range aerial attacks."
The hero muttered with annoyance and leaned out of the open window.
"Hey!"
Just as I was about to shout that it was dangerous, I was frozen.
I saw it, a massive green creature flying high above the illuminated town below the castle. It was a fearsome and enormous dragon, a sight I had only encountered in games or anime.
"Extreme Sword Release! Daniel, for now, hide!"
With sharp instructions to me, the hero was holding the sword I had seen at Lapis Garden. I was still astonished by the fact that the sword he had been holding a moment ago had disappeared. The hero then jumped out of the window and onto the roof of the castle, leaping over several rooftops.
I was told not to approach the window, but that was the least of my concerns. The hero, equipped with nothing more than a sword, rushed out the window with great determination and soared over the rooftops of the castle.
"Ha…"
I could only stare in disbelief at the hero's back as he raced through the sky, even higher than myself, to confront the winged dragon with his mana flaring wildly.
"Hero!? What in the world— Wait, Da...… Daniel…!"
However, a voice brought me back to reality. Anastasia, the princess I had left resting in the room, had come to the room in a panic.
"Princess… something set off an alarm suddenly and he… Alex went out. He's facing that enormous dragon all by himself…"
"The hero? In that case, there's no problem. I will provide support."
With a concise assessment of the situation, Anastasia gazed out the window with an unusually determined expression. She then focused on the hero's back as he dashed through the sky. Finally, she extended both arms forward.
"Skill set, summon. 'Short-distance teleportation', 'Jump assist', 'Flight Performance A++'… 'Mana circulation', 'Extreme Sword Release'… Huh?"
While typically, this process would not involve fanfare but rather be performed efficiently, Princess Anastasia, who had repeated skill enhancements in this manner, quickly turned pale. Her lips trembled slightly and she eventually muttered in a despairing tone.
"Mana… is not circulating correctly. My skill enhancements are hardly reaching the Hero…"
Oh shit!